St Andrew’s West is a Church of Scotland congregation. Here, we explain a bit about what that means, both in terms of what we believe, and in the practical running of our church.
The information on this page is from the Church of Scotland website, with further details available at: https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/about-us
The Kirk
The Church of Scotland, sometimes referred to as ‘The Kirk’, is Scotland’s national church. It seeks to inspire the people of Scotland and beyond with the Good News of Jesus Christ through enthusiastic worshipping, witnessing, nurturing and serving communities.
The Church of Scotland is one of the largest organisations in the country with around 280,000 members, with more regularly involved in local congregations and our work. It has around 650 ministers serving in parishes and chaplaincies, supported by both centrally and locally employed staff.
Most of the Kirk’s parishes are in Scotland, but it also has churches in England, Europe and further afield. The Church of Scotland plays a pivotal role in Scottish society and works with communities worldwide.
Our Faith
Central to the Church of Scotland is our love and worship of God through following the teachings and examples of Jesus Christ. We express our love for God by our love and practical care for each other and for those we live with and encounter in our daily lives.
As individuals and groups of believers, we do this by following the ‘Five Marks of Mission’:
- To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
- To teach, baptise and nurture new believers
- To respond to human need by loving service
- To seek to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation
- To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth
The activities we do as a congregation at St Andrew’s West are geared to meeting these focuses within our parish in the centre of Glasgow.
Our Structure
The Church of Scotland’s governing system is presbyterian, which means that no one person or group within the Church has more influence or say than any other. The Church does not have one person who acts as the head of faith, as that role is the Lord God’s. Its supreme rule of faith and life is through the teachings of the Bible.
Church of Scotland government is organised on the basis of various collections of representatives, officially referred to as ‘courts’. At a local level – the parish – the court is a kirk session. Kirk sessions oversee the local congregation and its parish, and consist of elders presided over by a minister. At St Andrew’s West, our kirk session oversee the pastoral and organisational aspects of the congregation.
At district level, the court is a presbytery. Presbyteries consist of all the ministers in the district and an equal number of elders, along with members of the diaconate. There are forty one presbyteries, thirty eight of whom are across Scotland, supplemented by three for congregations in England, Jerusalem, and International. At St Andrew’s West, we are a member of the Presbytery of Glasgow, and both our minister and an appointed elder attend presbytery as our representatives.
At national level, the highest court of the Kirk is the General Assembly, which meets annually. This body consists of around 400 ministers, 400 elders, and members of the diaconate, all representing the presbyteries of the church. At St Andrew’s West, we regularly send both our minister and appointed elders to represent the Presbytery of Glasgow at General Assembly.
St Andrew's West Parish Church 